How to Write a Novel - 03 - Narrative

Difficulty: Moderately Challenging

Instructions

Step 1

The proper narrative can make or break a good story. There are three kinds of narrative used in fiction. They are first person, second person and third person narratives, and they can be used in conjunction with each other. However, if this is your first shot at writing a novel, I suggest choosing one and sticking with it (at least for the rough draft).
Step 2

This is the easiest form of narrative to write for the non-writer. In first person narratives, you tell the story from the main character's point of view. First person narrative is all about the “I.” An example of first person narrative:

I walked down the street, ever so carefully, being mindful of the downed power lines. I didn't know which were still live, and I didn't want to chance getting electrocuted. Sarah was around the corner, waiting for me. I wanted her to fall in my arms, thankful that I was still alive – with all the drama of an 18th century romance novel – but this wasn't the 18th century, and women guard their emotions more nowadays.

In a first person narrative a writer can really get into their main character's head. You get to know all the inner workings of your novel's hero. Also, all the character's motivations are filtered through your character's eyes, which can allow for some great descriptive creativity.
Step 3

Now, if you're a seasoned writer, you'll be most comfortable with a third person narrative. Third person narrative is the most common form of narrative used in the fiction you'll find in bookstores today. Third person narrative is told with the author as the narrator. An example of third person narrative:

Jerry soared over the hill on his sled with a speed surpassing all who came before him. Children in Waterborough would forever tell of this day, and Jerry would rise higher and higher with each retelling. Eventually the event turned into legend, like all nostalgic stories. No one ever forgot it.

In third person narrative you have the most flexibility. You can easily follow different characters for different scenes. You can use internal dialogue and thoughts from more than just the one character you can in first person narratives. There are different ways you can use third person narratives to tell your story: subjective, objective, and omniscient.
Step 4

The third person subjective can follow many characters at once in a story, but more often than not there is one main character which is followed. Sometimes this form of third person narrative is referred to as “over the shoulder,” because the emotions and descriptions are not filtered through a character's perspective. This form of the third person can also be used to follow only one character, this is sometimes called “third person limited,” because of the “limited” perspective of the story.
Step 5

The third person objective is a little more strict. In this form of narrative no thoughts, emotions, or opinions of the characters are given. For emotion and such to get through, it must be worked into the dialogue. The easiest way to describe this form of narrative is to compare it to a movie. There is no narrator in a movie telling you “Ben Affleck feels like he's drowning in sorrow.” No, you can see it in his face and hear it in his words. This can seem like bare-bones writing, but sometimes a story is better told when just giving the facts.
Step 6

The third person omniscient is the most common of the third person narratives. It is also the easiest. In third person omniscient you can write pretty much anything. It's not even uncommon for the author to work their own opinion of their characters into the story with this form of narrative (it's just tricky). The problem with this form of narrative is it's also the easiest to make mistakes in. If you go on too many tangents and give too much description – there is a lot open to you in this form of narrative – then you can lose the reader. A lot of times, first time and seasoned writers alike fall give every little detail and it takes away from the telling of the story. If you choose this form (and I do recommend it for the beginner) then be careful about rambling on.
Step 7

This last form of narrative is the hardest form to write an entire novel in. The second person narrative is the least used narrative in fiction today (in the English language, that is. It is more commonly found in Asian Literature). The second person narrative is told from one character's perspective usually involving another character or the reader into the story. An example of second person narrative:

You really had no idea what you were doing to me when you walked out that night. Only someone like you could do what you did. How can you not care? You hurt her so much, and then you just left us. My mother loved you, which is more than you can expect of me.

As you can see, it is most challenging because of the way in which the story is told. The narrator in second person has to try and stay out of the story he is telling. Of course, sometimes it is good for the narrator to be involved in a second person narrative, but you are always on the borderline of falling into first person if the narrator gets too much air-time.
Step 8

If you think it will benefit your story, at any time you can change narrative forms. Sometimes writers will start a story with an account in the first person to give the reader certain emotions or ideas before they launch into the bulk of the story. You can also use the first person in character's dreams.
Step 9

The point of the rough draft stage is to get the story out. Don't go back and start again unless it is a last resort. Starting over when you're at the middle point can be hell when you have a deadline like we do. No, we have a perfectly good rewriting phase for that load of mess.

How to Write a Novel - 03 - Narrative

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